Orkut users should report offensive material - Google

Dubai: Internet users who find offensive words or pictures on website Orkut.com should inform Google so that the company can consider removing the material, a spokeswoman has said.

Rachel Whetstone from Google, which set up and runs Orkut, told Gulf News that it was "easy" for people to report content they objected to.

She said it was up to users, each of which has their own log in details and profile, to vet material on the site as Google itself did not pre-screen postings.

"So much content is created each day that there's no way a company like Google could monitor it, but there are clear terms and conditions, and you need an account [to use Orkut]," she said.

"The community flags content it believes is inappropriate, illegal or contrary to the terms and conditions. We have a team that reviews this content."

She said that although Google reviews everything that is flagged, that does not mean the highlighted material will necessarily be removed. "Some people might flag something they think is inappropriate, but we might feel it's appropriate and represents freedom of expression," Whetstone said.

Material that is offensive, threatening or fraudulent, that breaches copyright, or infringes the terms and conditions of Orkut in some other way, is likely to be removed if it gets flagged up, according to Whetstone.

As reported in Gulf News yesterday, there are more than 2,000 Orkut users in a membership category called "Dubai Sex". Many have posted explicit photographs on the site.

Content control

Whetstone added: "It's a community site controlled by the community. We empower users so they take control of the content. There is a misunderstanding that the site is a free for all, but that's not how it operates."

Dubai-based lawyer Abdul Hamid Al Kumity, of Al Kumity Advocates, said according to Article 15 of the UAE's cyber crime laws, people risked a jail term of between six months and three years, and a fine of up to Dh30,000, for making, constructing, exhibiting, showing, circulating, inducing or impelling people to watch a website with obscene, immoral, pornographic or erotic material. Article 15(4) puts those who publicise such websites for others to watch or attract people to such websites at risk of a fine or a jail term.

According to Article 13, anybody who allows youngsters to access such websites or helps them in viewing them will be punished with a fine or a jail term of up to five years.

In addition, lawyer Al Kumity said people with information about inappropriate websites could approach the Public Prosecution of any emirate and lodge a criminal complaint.

Violations: Self-policing system

Orkut operates on a self-policing system and says that it relies on the user to notify them of potential violations of their rules. It's own rulebook explicitly states that users cannot:

The site's help page says that offensive and immoral material can be removed by Orkut, and in extreme cases the authorities can be notified. If you find anything offensive then you should:

- Adam Flinter, Web Editor

Readerspeak: Banning website is not the solution

Words against Orkut are not what are needed. There are people around who use it to find old friends. I am one such person. Like etisalat has done with Youtube.com, it can filter the page for profanity and keywords and block those particular pages, rather than blocking Orkut as a whole.
- Sajin Salim, Dubai

I think it is a big mistake to publish this article about Orkut.com, as people who have not heard of it before have done so now and will log on to the obscene sites. At least you should have kept the site's name anonymous.
- Mohammad Ali, Dubai

Please ban Orkut.com. Despite its many advantages, it is more likely that hundreds of porn movies and pictures on Orkut will definitely attract youngsters and harm moral values. Access to the site should be blocked. If such vicious products influence children, the future impact will be immense.
- Mohammad Shamsheer, Pondicherry, India

I think 'Friendster' was banned, too, for similar reasons. You mean to tell me that it is a clean site now? I would suggest that people complain to Orkut rather than to Gulf News or etisalat! If you ban Orkut today, some other site will come up tomorrow - I don't think "banning" is a solution. I want to stay in touch with my friends and I would be disappointed if that was taken away from me.
- Name withheld by request, Dubai

I agree that there is misuse of the Orkut website but then the internet is full of such "sex" related options. I personally like Orkut because I have gotten in touch with so many of my school friends through it. Finding such old friends is like finding a treasure that you had thought was lost.
- Name withheld by request, Dubai

I am using Orkut.com since Google founded it, and it has helped me to network and for my business to grow. There are over 180,000 social networking web communities in the Middle East alone and most of them focus on religion, culture, charity, childcare and humanity. Only about 0.5 per cent may contain topics that harm moral values.
- Imran H., Dubai

Is banning Orkut going to make the 2000+ members (of the Dubai sex category) do away with their real intentions? Definitely not. They will find alternative ways. So, don't deprive people of a good networking site. If issues like these require resolution, start looking at the root cause.
- Ramesh

I think Orkut is one of the few sites, which helps you get in touch with all your long lost friends. Personally speaking, I am an ardent Orkut user (orkutarian) and feel that scraping (messaging) on Orkut is the easiest and best way to keep in touch with friends. I think Orkut is one of the best social networking websites currently available and there are is no justification for banning Orkut.
- Deepa

In my opinion, it's not the website that is harmful, it is always the user. I don't think such a website can be banned. You see, a knife is a useful tool but also a dangerous one if it is misused ... nobody can ban knives from being sold in the market. So is the internet, it's just up to us people how we use it properly.
- Ryan